You'll Always Be Mine
by Remember How I Used To Be
Summary: Aragorn is sick, very sick, and this time he won’t recover. At his prompting, Legolas tells Aragorn something he has never told anyone before. Something he wished he could have said many years before. NOT A SLASHFIC! TWOSHOT
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Aragorn is sick, very sick, and this time he won't recover. At his prompting, Legolas tells Aragorn something he has never told anyone before. Something he wished he could have said many years before. TWOSHOT**

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**

"Legolas," King Thranduil stepped into the Prince's study, "This just came from Gondor." He handed Legolas the letter.

Legolas opened it quickly, a feeling of deep foreboding in his heart. His heart was pounding as he scanned the few short lines.

In some places the elegant writing wavered or was blurred by tear drops.

_Legolas,_

_For many years, you have been my husband's dearest friend. Aragorn has fallen ill. It is not expected that he will recover. Please come with all haste._

_Your Humble Servant,_

_Arwen_

Legolas felt everything about him drop away into nothingness. He had known that this day would come, but he had hoped it would not be so soon.

"_Ada_," The Prince said, "I must go to Gondor, Aragorn has been taken ill."

The King saw the worry in his son's face and nodded, "Go then."

Legolas swept from the room to ready his horse and travel pack.

**Two Days Later**

Legolas was led into Aragorn's chamber by one of the palace's now somber servants.

The prince thought he had steeled himself for anything, but not this.

Aragorn lay thin and frail, propped up on large cushions. His pale wife sat beside him gripping his once strong hand.

"Ah, my old friend," Aragorn managed, "Come sit."

Arwen silently rose, offering her seat to Legolas.

The Elf took it with a nod of thanks.

"I will let you and Legolas catch up." Arwen said softly as she pressed a gently kiss on her husband's wrinkled brow before leaving the room.

For a moment, the two old friends sat silently, lost in memories.

"How is Gimli?" Aragorn asked, his mind wandering back to the days of the Fellowship.

"As stubborn and crotchety as ever." Legolas said with a small laugh. He thought of the old dwarf as he hobbled about the Glittering Caves, still giving orders to the younger dwarves. "How are you?" He asked, his voice growing serious with concern.

A shadow settled upon the King's face. "Ill, my friend, ill." He smiled grimly at his companion. "Legolas, my old friend, we have been through much together. Many years, in fact, but we have never simply sat and talked."

"Aye, that we haven't," Legolas replied, "Shall we now? Reminisce of the old days in our youth when we were young and foolish?"

The King smiled lightly at his Elven friend, "Nay, I have wondered about the one subject in your life you so carefully avoid. Love."

Legolas saw now the trap Aragorn had set down for him. "You wish to know of love in my life?" The prince was unsure as to how he should go about his tale.

"The love, Legolas, come now. Surely you have loved someone, some woman. Tell me of her. For as long as I have known you, you have avoided intimate relations with women like it were the plague." Aragorn opened his grey eyes and gave Legolas a piercing stare.

The Elf looked away, not meeting his friend's gaze. He gazed out of the window, fighting against the pain that reared up as he remembered her. Her being Arietha.

"There was a woman, once." Legolas began softly, "Her name was Arietha." The Elf closed his eyes, remembering every detail he could about her. And he began to tell his tale to Aragorn. "I met her one year before the Battle of the Five Armies."

**_Flashback:_**

_Legolas Greenleaf rested against the trunk of a tree. He absorbed the sounds of the forest as they rolled over and about him. _

_The wind brought him its news, showing him the going-ons of the people. Then one particular sound caught his ears. A scream had entwined itself into the wind._

_The Elf was on the ground and racing off towards the screaming. Legolas stopped at the edge of a giant spider web. He had stumbled into the lair of the Giant Spiders that inhabited Mirkwood's shadow realms._

_A young woman screamed again and dove behind a tree trunk as one of the huge creatures hit the ground where she had once been. Another spider leapt at the woman, but was caught in mid-air by an arrow. The creature screeched and dropped lifelessly to the forest floor. _

_The spiders ceased their attacks for the moment to get a look at the intruder. _

_The young woman peered tentatively out from behind her tree. She stared in wonder at the bold Elf standing in the center of the spiders' den. _

_Legolas gave the young woman a reassuring smile as he raised his bow and fired and arrow with deadly accuracy into the nearest spider's head. The creature collapsed with a screech. _

_The sound awoke the others from their trance and they pounced upon the lone Elf. _

_Legolas stashed his bow behind a tree and whipped out his knives. He spun about in a blur, slashing at the spiders. Warm, sticky, black blood coated his upper body as it squirted from the dying beasts._

_Then the den suddenly fell silent as the remaining spiders fled into the depths of Mirkwood's shadows._

_Legolas dropped to his knees exhausted. He noted a sharp pain in his should where blood had begun to well up from a wound of his own._

_The young woman crept from her hiding place and slowly approached an exhausted Legolas. "Thank you." She said softly. _

_The Elf looked up at her from his position on the ground and slowly got to his feet. He wiped a trickled of spider blood from his forehead and looked at in disgust. _

"_Here," The young woman told him, offering him a white handkerchief. _

_Legolas took it with a nod of thanks. He wiped a bit of the blood away from his mouth and eyes. "I'd give you this back, but I do believe it is positively filthy." He smiled at the human girl before him. "I should probably wash it before returning." _

_The girl laughed, "I think we both could use some washing as well."_

"_How right you are," Legolas paused, "May I inquire as to your name, my lady?" He inclined his head to the human._

"_I am called Arietha." _

"_And I am Legolas." The Prince bowed slightly, kissing her hand. "I suppose we should get cleaned up before anyone should see us." He told Arietha as he straightened, "There is a pool not far from here." _

"_Of course, the Wanderer's Pool!" Arietha exclaimed, "Why did I not think to mention it before?" _

_Legolas laughed lightly, "Shall we go then?" _

_Arietha nodded and took Legolas' offered arm. _

_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

_Legolas shook the water from his eyes and mockingly glared at his new friend Arietha. "That was cheating." He told her. _

_Arietha smirked at him, "Actually, that was quite fair. You got my clothes wet."_

_The Prince raised an eyebrow at her. "How else did you expect to get them clean without removing them?"_

_The human wrinkled her nose and sent another wave of water at the Elf with her feet. _

_Legolas grabbed her ankles and yanked her off of the log where she had been perched._

_Arietha tumbled into the pool with a splash and a small scream. _

"_And you say I cheat." The girl muttered as she resurfaced. _

_It was Legolas' turn to smirk. _

_The girl swam close to Legolas and wiped the remaining spider blood from his chest and began to examine the cut in his shoulder. It was clean and just a surface wound. "I want to thank you," Arietha said softly, "For saving my life today. If you hadn't heard me, I don't know what I would have done." _

_Legolas met her gaze. "You would have been all right. I'm sure of it." He gently took Arietha's hands in his. _

_The human girl blushed. _

"_Arietha! Arietha! Where are you?" A man's voice filtered through the trees._

_Legolas and Arietha froze for a moment. Then Arietha clambered out of the river._

_She flashed Legolas an apologetic smile, "I must go, it is my brother." Arietha waved to Legolas and ran towards her brother's voice._

_The Elven prince leaned on the bank, watching her go. He smiled before climbing up from the water._

_**End Flashback**_

"That is how you met?" Aragorn said, more of a statement than a question.

"Aye, that is how we met." The Elf replied softly, hoping that his friend would be satisfied with the knowledge.

To his dismay, the Man would not let it rest until the subject was exhausted.

"Whatever happened to her? Why did you not wed her?"

Legolas sighed and continued on.

"We saw each other often afterwards, very often."

_**Flashback:**_

_Legolas lay back on the grassy hill, gazing up at the velvet night sky. He loved the night. It was peaceful, blissfully so. A warm summer breeze drifted gently over his body, playing with the golden hair that lay splayed out upon the ground. _

"_Is this spot taken?" A soft voice queried from above him. _

_The Elf turned his head to see Arietha. Her silvered hair glistened in the moonlight that bathed her body. A soft dress fluttered down from her shoulders in gentle waves. A silver belt gathered it at her slim waist. Her beauty took his breath away._

"_I was saving it for you." Legolas managed when he got his breath back._

_Arietha knelt beside Legolas and gazed up at the stars shining brightly above her. "It is so beautiful tonight." She whispered upward. _

_Legolas propped himself up on one elbow so he could look at her. "The night is beautiful, but how could I ever see it when your beauty is blinding me?" He knew the line was a bit unoriginal, but it was truly how he felt at this moment. _

_Only a few short months had passed since his first accidental meeting with Arietha. Since then there had been numerous other "accidents." Each meeting's end had seen the pair bound closer together by an unseen force. At first the feelings was that only of friendship, but it had quickly become something so much more. _

_The young woman bestowed a shy smile upon her companion. "Thank you, but I am not worthy of such compliment." She moved as if to look away, but could not break her gaze away from Legolas'. _

_Slowly, as if any sudden movement might frighten her off, Legolas moved a bit closer to her. He sat just beside her and lay back upon the grass once more._

_Arietha understood what he was doing and she too lay back. Her head rested lightly on Legolas' chest. His arms encircled her body, holding her tightly against his body. For several minutes she simply listened to the strong, steady beat of his heart beneath his smoothly muscled chest. She could feel his hand gently caressing her silken hair. _

"_You are quiet tonight." Legolas observed. He could sense something wasn't quite right with her. _

"_Legolas, I- I can't see you anymore." She whispered softly. Arietha lifted herself from Legolas' embrace and looked down at the Elf._

"_Why? Have you suddenly gone blind?" Legolas tried weakly to make a joke, but he could feel the pain already welling up within him. He had seen on his human friend's faces this same pain many times before. They had been forced to watch as the one they loved was given to another, usually older, man in marriage. "To whom?" He asked after a moment._

"_Bard." _

_The name hung the air. Bard was a Man Legolas had seen many times. He was a skilled hunter and archer. Any woman should have been thrilled to become the wife of Bard. Just not his Arietha. Not her. He wanted her to be his with every particle of his being. He had come alive since meeting her. Everyone in Mirkwood had noticed. For the first time since his sister's death he was smiling and laughing. _

_Legolas started to get to his feet. "I shall go and speak with your father. I will ask for your hand myself." He started to walk off, but felt Arietha's small hands grasp his hand and pull him back._

"_Legolas," She whispered softly, "You can't."_

"_Why not? I love you. I don't want to lose you." He gently clasped his arms about her slender waist, "You have made me feel more these last few months than I've been able to feel in the ten years since my sister's death. I want you to be by my side always. To be my wife, my lover, my consort. Give it whatever name you please, but all I want, all I need, is you."_

_Arietha averted her gaze from Legolas' passionate expression. "Legolas, even if my father agreed to our marriage by some strange miracle, I could never be with you always. I am a daughter of Men and you- you are a prince among the Elves. Even should we wed, I would grow old and wither away as the leaves do when winter comes. While you would remain forever young." _

_Legolas knew that she spoke truth, but his heart could not accept it. "I don't care. I will love regardless of what will happen." He made as if to say more, but Arietha silenced him, pressing her fingertips gentle against the prince's lips._

"_No. I cannot let you throw away everything for my sake. What would happen when I died? It is not likely that you would remain among your people or mine for very long after my death. If we were wed, there would be a bond between us stronger even than love. That bond would kill you when I die. Think of those you now care for. Your father, your people, and your land. Should you die, you would leave your people without a leader to look to should their king move into the West or be killed. To forsake your duty would be wrong. My people say that duty should come before all else. It is a saying we live by." Arietha stopped speaking for a moment. _

_Legolas could see her visibly trying to choke back the tears that threatened to overwhelm her. "Hush, my love." He whispered, cradling her head against his chest. _

_Arietha began to cry softly as Legolas rocked her gently. For a long time they stood there as Arietha sobbed into Legolas' tunic. _

_The Elven Prince felt his throat tightening as he tried to speak. He couldn't bear to give her up without a fight, but she was right. All too right. If she died, he knew that life would become meaningless and he, too, would die. "Arietha," Legolas sighed, "I wish that we could by some miracle be together. But, as usual, you are right. I will always love you, and nothing will ever change that." He could feel the tears pricking at the corners of his eyes and blinked rapidly to banish them. "I will never be able to tell how much I love you, but I can give you the chance to be with someone who could give you the things I could never give you." _

_Legolas gently lifted Arietha's chin so she stared up at him with watery eyes. He slowly lowered his face to hers and allowed his lips to brush gently over her lips. The kiss deepened and Legolas clung tightly to the woman he loved for a moment longer. Just as slowly as the kiss had started, it was broken. "I love you, and **always** will." Legolas whispered fiercely. He gave Arietha a weak smile before turning and disappearing into the forest. _

_Had he only looked back, he would have seen Arietha sink to her knees and bury her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with sobs._

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**

**I need to stop this first part here, because A) If I don't I'm probably going to dissolve into tears over something completely ridiculous because I am so overly emotional at the moment, B) I'm so tired it's not even funny, and C) I want to have a chance to regroup before starting on the next part. So please, read and review. Once again, I ask you to please send me ANY ideas you have for ANY of my stories. Mainly my LOTR and POTC stories though. Thanks a bunch!!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: Aragorn is sick, very sick, and this time he won't recover. At his prompting, Legolas tells Aragorn something he has never told anyone before. Something he wished he could have said many years before. TWOSHOT**

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**

"Legolas?" Arwen whispered softly as she appeared at the weary Elf's side. "I will take over for now." She gave him a soft smile full of sadness and her own weariness.

The Elven Prince took a long look at his sleeping friend before nodding to the queen and allowing one of the servants to lead him to his chambers. Slipping out of his tunic he moved into bed. He fell asleep almost as soon as he lay down.

_**Legolas' Dream**_

_Legolas stood in the center of the clearing surrounding the Wanderer's Pool. It was spring and the air was sweet with the scent of the woodland's blossoms. Birds darted in and out among the tree branches. Moss grew springy and green about the pool's edge. The scene was one of serenity. _

_The soft whisper of silk signaled the presence of another. Arietha stood just inside the circle of the trees, hers soft gown moving on the slightest of breezes. Her silver hair flowed loosely about her body on the same light breezes. She was simply dressed, but Legolas could not breathe as he gazed upon her. _

_"It has been far too long since you last visited me." Arietha said softly, casting her bright eyes upon Legolas' face. "Why do you stay away from me for so long? Why haven't you returned to me? Why have you left our daughter all alone without her father?" She stretched out her pale arms to draw Legolas into an embrace. _

_Suddenly she screamed and backed away from Legolas, tripping over roots in her haste. "The blood." She whispered her eyes wide. _

_Legolas stared at his hands as blood ran down them. Some of it was the black blood of orcs and spiders and some of it was the red blood of the Easterlings and Corsairs he had killed. "Arietha, I can explain." He started towards her. _

_Arietha screamed and collapsed upon the ground. Legolas ran to her side. Only it was not Arietha any longer. In her place lay the body of an Easterling. One of Legolas' arrows pierced the Man through a hole in the armor. Legolas gently removed the enemy's helm and cried out in distress. His daughter lay dead, her own father's arrow buried deep within her chest. _

The Elf awoke, tears streaming down his face. "It's only a dream." He told himself softly as he swung his legs out of the bed. He rubbed one hand over his face in an effort to erase all signs of his distress. He hadn't realized just how much he missed Arietha and his daughter until Aragorn forced him to remember them for the first time in many years.

"Are you all right, my lord?" A servant asked, poking his head into the room just a little.

"Yes, I'm fine." Legolas tiredly waved the servant away and donned his clothing. After a moment he started out the door and towards Aragorn's room.

He arrived at the room to find Arwen nearly asleep and her husband's side. "Arwen, I will continue the watch." Legolas helped her to the door and shut it softly behind her.

Aragorn stirred in his bed. "Welcome back, Legolas." He said as cheerfully as he could manage.

The prince sat down beside his old friend.

"Tell me, did you ever see Arietha again?"

Legolas sighed and continued with his tale.

_**Flashback:**_

_Legolas stood in the background of Esgaroth's busy market, simply watching as the humans bustled about. On occasion he caught a glimpse of an Elf moving through the crowds, but they would disappear as suddenly as they had come. Then he caught sight of the one he had been waiting for. Arietha arrived in the market and Legolas started to approach her, but stopped short when he saw who was attached to her arm. _

_Bard was at her elbow, guiding her gently through the crowded streets. Arietha smiled and laughed once or twice at something Bard said. Her smile was quickly replaced with a shadow of sadness when she caught sight of Legolas standing just beside the street. He said nothing and she turned her head away to hide her tears from him. _

_Legolas turned away from the streets of the market and disappeared from the village. _

_**End Flashback**_

"I returned to Esgaroth whenever I could in hopes of seeing her again. A few times she smiled at me, but we could never talk or be together. I spent so much time near Esgaroth that I built a small flet near the village. Once she managed to sneak a message to me of her wedding plans, but that was all until almost ten months after her wedding night." Legolas sighed softly and went on.

_**Flashback:**_

_Legolas stood beside his father and the Master of Esgaroth as they watched the army of goblins crest a hill. _

_"Legolas," Thranduil said sharply, "Lead your company in a charge directly upon the goblins; give Bard a chance to steady his line." _

_Legolas nodded and signaled to his captains up and down the line. He raced forward his spear tip shining in the light of the torches. The other Elves of his company followed swiftly behind him. They were only too eager to attack the goblins for they hated the goblins with every particle of their being. Their attack cut down many goblins, but not enough to cause any great damage. _

_"Fall back!" Legolas shouted over the clash of weapons. Elves pulled into a tight group as they backed out of the fighting to allow the Master of Esgaroth's forces into the fight. _

_After the battle_

_Legolas stretched his stiffening limbs as he placed his cleaned weapons upon their racks. Someone tapped hesitantly on the door of his flet. He opened the door and found himself face to face with Arietha. She was crying. _

_"Arietha, are you all right?" He asked, leading her inside before closing the door. _

_Without answering Arietha threw her arms around Legolas' waist and hugged him tightly. Tears streamed from her eyes and soaked his tunic. "I've missed you so much." She gasped out between sobs, "And you could have died tonight. I never would have gotten to say good-bye." _

_Legolas stroked her hair gently, "I've missed you too." He raised her chin gently and kissed her deeply. She melted into his embrace with only his arms holding her upright. _

_"Arietha, you shouldn't be here." Legolas began, but he was cut off as Arietha pressed another kiss upon his lips. He knew it wasn't right to be kissing another man's wife and wanting to do so much more, but it was at this moment that he did not care. _

_Apparently neither did she. "I've born my social husband his son, why should I not bear a child for my husband of mind and body?" She asked him as he caressed her neck, trailing kisses down to the hollow of her throat. "Legolas," She gasped, "Please." _

_He responded only by sliding her sleeves from her shoulders, baring her inch by inch to his caresses. She moaned as he planted kisses all over her body, arousing her in a way Bard could never hope to. _

_**Two Hours Later**_

_Legolas gazed upon the sleeping form of the woman he loved. Her hair streamed out over the surface of the pillows. The prince loved how her soft silver lashes fluttered as her eyes opened slowly. _

"_Legolas." She sighed and snuggled closer to him. Her warm breath tickled his sensitive skin as she buried her face in his neck. _

_The lovers lay together in Legolas' bed, comfortable in their silence. Simply enjoying their few moments alone together. _

_Arietha slowly sat up after a few minutes. "I should probably get back to Esgaroth before they start looking for me." She told Legolas softly. _

_He could only nod and kiss her gently before she slipped out of the flet in her dark cloak. Legolas ran a hand through his golden hair. Already he could feel the emptiness of his flet returning with her absence. _

_The Elf slipped into an unconscious state and knew nothing more until morning._

_**End Flashback**_

Legolas stopped for a moment to catch his breath. "I saw very little of her for many months. As the months progressed Arietha's belly grew. I became a bit frightened. If the child was mine, my beloved Arietha and my child would be killed."

_**Flashback**_

_Legolas watched from the rooftop as Arietha was helped through the streets by her attendants. After the Battle of the Five Armies, Bard had taken his place as the last in the line of kings. This made Arietha a queen of sorts. This thought did not comfort Legolas, if the child Arietha carried was his then she was in grave danger. Not only would she be killed, but the child as well. He turned away and slipped through the trees to his flet._

_**Four Hours Later**_

_Legolas got to his feet and opened the door of his flet. A servant in Bard's livery stood there. "Bard requests your presence." Was all the servant said. _

_Legolas snatched up his cloak and followed the servant to a small house Legolas recognized as the midwife's house. A baby wailed within and Bard stood just outside the door. With a nod he dismissed his servant. _

"_Legolas, Arietha would want you to be here now. Go in." Bard pulled open the door and allowed the Elf inside._

_Legolas stepped into the candle-lit room and saw Arietha lying on a bed in the center of the room. An old woman and her attendants swarmed over her and a tiny baby. They backed hurriedly out of the room when they saw Legolas enter. Arietha gazed up at Legolas and smiled. She held out the tiny baby to him. _

"_Our daughter." She said softly._

_The tiny girl had stopped her crying and was now gazing up at her father. Legolas had never seen something so tiny, never felt so happy in all his life. This tiny creature was his. She was his daughter! _

_His joy faded as Arietha coughed up blood onto the sheets in front of her. He knelt beside her. "What's wrong?" He smoothed her silver hair out of her face. _

"_They say the baby was born strangely. She wasn't born like a normal child. The birth was damaging to me because of the strangeness of her birthing. The midwife says I probably will not live through the night." Arietha smiled slightly and she lay back against the pillows. _

"_No, this can't be!" Legolas kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her lips, as if trying to make everything all right again. _

"_Legolas, he knows. I- I had to tell him after I found out I am supposed to die tonight. I did not want to leave without saying good-bye. I-." Legolas sealed off her sentence with a kiss. Arietha fell gently into his arms. _

_When they broke apart she smiled briefly at him. "Take care of our daughter, Legolas. I love you." Her voice faded as she sank slowly backwards against the pillows. Her shining eyes closed for the last time and her final breath slipped out, warm against Legolas' face. _

"_Arietha!" Legolas cradled her body in his arms, his daughter wailed as if to join in her father's mourning. _

_Bard entered the room along with the midwife and her assistants. He gazed down on the Elf and baby girl that rested at the edge of his wife's bed. The child wailed loud enough to wake the dead. He watched as the Elf wiped away his own tears and tenderly picked up the girl. _

"_Hush," Legolas whispered, "It's all right." He stood up and met Bard's gaze. They exchanged nods and Bard stepped aside to allow the Elf past with the baby in his arms. "Take good care of Arietha's child. Whether or not she knew it, I cared for her as well. Perhaps not to the extent you did, but I still cared about her." _

_Legolas nodded and disappeared into the night. Bard could only hear the faint wailing of the baby girl after a few minutes._

_**End Flashback**_

Legolas closed his eyes and remembered the feeling of the tiny girl in his arms. He remembered Arietha's last words. It was as if she was saying them over again.

Aragorn could see his friend's renewed pain. "I am sorry, Legolas."

The Elf shook his head, "No, I needed to remember her. I needed to feel again." He looked out the window to see the sun peeking over the horizon. "My daughter died a few years ago beside her husband as they protected their home from goblins. She chose the life of a mortal and was happy. That was all I could have asked for, her happiness."

Legolas looked at his friend who was lying, propped up against the pillows as Arietha had just before she died. The sight pained him in such a way he could not even look at Aragorn for several minutes.

Arwen appeared in the doorway and knelt beside Aragorn. He was dying as she watched. "Legolas, could you….?" Her voice trailed off as Legolas nodded and left the room.

**Two Days Later**

Legolas gazed down at the body of Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and smiled. Aragorn finally had his peace and at last Legolas could find his. He and Gimli were sailing to the Grey Havens with the next outgoing tide. The ship had been in the making for many years and had just been finished the day after Aragorn's death. For a thousand years Legolas had walked Middle Earth and now, it was his turn to leave it. He could go in peace.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**

**Author's Note: ****I've been alternately writing and drawing recently so yeah. I've got my PotC fic in the workshop and will continue as if the 3****rd**** movie was not in existence so I don't have to change plot lines. Thanks for reading and stuff. Bye!**


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